Venetian blind slat cleaning device



p 4, 1956 w. M. NIELSEN 2,761,164

VENETIAN BLIND SLAT CLEANING DEVICE} Filed June- 12, 1953 CF" .3 2G 3 22 JNVENTOR. WlLLIE M. LhELsEu AT TO QM Evs United State patent VENETIAN BLIND SLAT CLEANING DEVICE Willie M. Nielsen, San Antonio, Tex. Application June 12, 1953, Serial No. 361,214

3 Claims. (Cl. -210) This invention relates to an improved device for cleaning the slats of a Venetian blind, the primary object of the invention being to provide a device of this kind which is operable in one adjustment thereof to clean alternate slats of a Venetian blind, and in another adjustment to clean intervening slats of the blind.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a generally improved cleaning device for Venetian blind slats, which will efiect cleaning of a substantial number of slats with minimum difficulty and with considerable speed at one time and without changing the position of the device relative to the blind.

Another object is to provide a slat cleaning device of the character referred to which can be applied to or removed from a selected portion of a Venetian blind with little difiiculty.

Another object of importance is to provide a cleaning device as stated which can be manufactured at relatively low cost, but will nevertheless be rugged and substantially trouble free in operation.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a Venetian blind, a cleaning device formed in accordance with the present invention being illustrated in perspective as it appears when applied to said blind;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cleaning device per se.

The illustrated device comprises two dual heads composed of head sections 10, 12 and 14, 16, respectively, and a single head 18, and a handle composed of two handle sections and 22 capable of being manipulated by being grasped between the thumb and fingers of one hand of a user.

The device is shown applied to a conventional Venetian blind designated generally at 24 and having the usual bottom bar 26, slats 28, 30, 32, and 34, tapes 36, and operating cord 38.

The handle sections are vertically elongated and the handle section 20 is provided intermediate its ends with a transversely extending, shallow, thumb-receiving de pression 40. The other handle section 22 is formed, intermediate its ends, with a longitudinal series of transversely extending, shallow depressions 44 adapted to receive the several fingers of the users hand. Formed in the handle section 22 is an end to end, longitudinal, dovetail groove 46 complementing a dovetail tongue 42 formed upon the handle member 20. The tongue and groove connection illustrated joins the handle sections 20, 22 for relatively slidable movement in the direction of their lengths. Normally, the handle sections are coterminous as shown in Figure 4, but as will be appreciated,

Patented Sept. 4, 1956 the handle sections can be shifted in one direction out of a coterminous relationship as shown in Figure 1, after which said handle members can be shifted in a return direction, to their coterminous relation.

The several cleaning head sections and the single head are identically formed, and hence the description of one will suifice for all. Each cleaning head can be formed with a single length of Wire the mid-length portion of which is folded upon itself and twisted to form a core 48. The end portions of said length of wire are twisted to form an arm 50, and extend in perpendicular relation to the core, at a location medially between the ends of said core. The arms 50 are then embedded in their associated handle sections 20, 22, thus fixedly connecting the several cleaning heads to the handle sections with each handle section having a longitudinal series of cleaning head sections and a single head, in superimposed, vertieal alignment with each other.

Each core 48,has secured thereto tufts 52 of cleaning fibers, such as soft wool, which project from opposite sides of the core in substantially the same horizontal plane.

In operation, the handle is grasped in. one hand of a user, and the handle sections shifted relative to one another to positions which will space the cleaning head sections of one head section away from the head sections of the other handle section. This provides for insertion of the cleaning head sections in the spaces between adjacent slats of the blind.

The handle sections are shiftable out of their coterminous relationship so as to shift the cleaning head sections 12, 16 of handle section 22 toward the cleaning head sections 10, 14, respectively, of the handle section 20, as shown in Figure 1 and in full lines in Figure 3. This causes the cleaning head sections 10, 12, to engage opposite faces of slat 34, while the cleaning head sec tions 14, 16 engage opposite faces of slat 30.

The device is then moved along the length of the slats, to clean the same, and it will be noted that the soft brush means on the cleaning head sections will facilitate movement of the cleaning heads through the spaces between tapes 36 and cord 38.

When slats 34, 30 have been cleaned and it is desired to clean the slats 32 and 28, the handle sections 20, 22 are shifted relative to each other to coterminous relation. This causes the cleaning head section 12 and the cleaning head section 14 to move toward each other to the dotted line positions shown in Figure 3, and the cleaning head section 16 and cleaning head section 18 to move toward each other to the dotted line positions shown in this figure. As a result, the slats 34, 30 will be released, while slats 32, 28 will be gripped between related head sections. Again, the device is reciprocated in the direction of the length of the slats, to clean the newly engaged slats.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the described device is for cleaning first a selected group of slats, and then a group of slats located between the slats of the first group, without removing the device from its initial relation to the blind.

Of course, the illustrated cleaning heads might be formed otherwise than as shown, and I believe that quite possibly, one might desire to utilize sponge rubber or the like instead of the tufts of wool such as have been shown.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to he illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised 'to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a Venetian blind slat cleaning device, a vertical handle comprising a pair 'of vertically elongated handle sections, means securing the handle sections together in side by side relation for vertical sliding movement lengthwise of each other, at least two vertically superimposed slat cleaning heads, said heads being horizontally elongated and being disposed at an angle to the handle, each of said heads comprising a pair of superimposed sections for cleaning opposite sides of a slat, each cleaning head section being fixed at a point intermediate its ends to a handle section, vertically alternate sections of the cleaning head sections being fixed to different ones of the handle sections.

2. In a Venetian blind slat cleaning device, a vertical handle comprising a pair of vertically elongated handle sections, means securing the handle sections together in side by side relation for vertical sliding movement lengthwise of each other, at least two vertically superimposed slat cleaning heads, said heads being horizontally elongated and being disposed at an angle to the handle, each of said heads comprising a pair of superimposed sections for cleaning opposite sides of a slat, each cleaning head section being fixed at a point intermediate its ends to a handle section, vertically alternate sections of the cleaning head sections being fixed to different ones of the handle sections, each of said cleaning head sections having cleaning surfaces on opposite sides thereof.

3. In a Venetian blind slat cleaning device, a vertical handle comprising a pair of vertically elongated handle sections, means securing the handle sections together in side by side relation for vertical sliding movement lengthwise of each other, at least two vertically superimposed slat cleaning heads, said heads being horizontally elongated and being disposed at an angle to the handle, each of said heads comprising a pair of superimposed sections for cleaning opposite sides of a slat, each cleaning head section being fixed at a point intermediate its ends to a handle section, vertically alternate sections of the cleaning head sections being fixed to different ones of the handle sections, each of said cleaning head sections having cleaning surfaces on opposite sides thereof, each cleaning head section comprising a core extending lengthwise thereof and a lateral arm fixed at one end to the core at a point intermediate the ends of the core and fixed at its other end to a handle section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,277,444 McPhee Mar. 24, 1942 2,663,046 Goguen Dec. 22, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 148,363 Australia Sept. 24, 391,759 France Sept. 5, 1908 

